Ohio Statehouse Puts Controversial Heartbeat Bill On Hold

A controversial bill that would ban abortion at the point a fetal heartbeat is detected has been put on hold. The so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” which Gov. John Kasich promises to veto, had been likely to come up for a vote today.

Listen

Listening...

/

1:27

Heartbeat Bill on hold

The head of the Ohio Senate committee considering the Heartbeat Bill, Dave Burke, says lawmakers need to consider last minute amendments so the committee vote has been delayed. But he says this bill is still viable and could come back either as a stand-alone bill or part of another.

“My job is to get this bill through committee and I will be back next week to do just that.”

But this delay is important because Kasich is promising to veto the bill, just like he did a similar bill two years ago. Kasich has ten days to do that. It could end up that lawmakers, who say they have the votes to override the bill, would not be able to reconvene enough members over the holidays.

“This isn’t the only unconstitutional abortion bill this legislature is still considering.”

Miracle says lawmakers could end up passing a ban on abortion at 12 weeks into a pregnancy or a bill that requires burial or cremation of fetal remains, either as stand-alone bills or as part of what’s known as a Christmas tree bill – a piece of legislation that’s adorned with a lot of other bills and passed in one swoop. And in past years, those bills have proven popular in the lame duck legislature.

Related Content

Opponents of a bill that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, rallied outside the Ohio Statehouse while supporters of it gathered inside for a committee hearing.

Opponents say the bill would deny legal abortion before many women know they are pregnant. Ohio State medical student Erica Reese talked about a woman she met named Anna, who had to decide whether to abort the fetus that was unlikely to survive or complete her pregnancy with people asking painful questions.

It’ll be a busy day at the Statehouse with the so-called “Heartbeat Bill” abortion ban among the proposed legislation on the agenda. Lawmakers are hoping to be done by mid-December with all they’re going to do in this legislative session.

Senators are getting their first look at the six-week abortion ban in an afternoon hearing. Opponents of the Heartbeat Bill plan a rally outside the Statehouse.

State lawmakers have overridden a quarter of Gov. John Kasich’s 48 vetoes, and they could do more in the next two weeks. Kasich has said he’d also veto the so-called Stand Your Ground self-defense bill and the six-week abortion ban called the Heartbeat Bill that recently passed the House.